Proprietary software like Windows often includes surveillance code to track user behavior and send this information to vendor servers. Linux has traditionally been immune to such privacy violation. Ubuntu 12.10 now includes code that, by default, collects data on Dash searches. The code integrates Amazon products into search results and can even integrate with Facebook, Twitter, BBC and others as per Ubuntu's Third Party Privacy Policies. This article at the EFF tells how it all works and how to opt out of information sharing, while Richard Stallman himself comments here.

If you set all the sliders to zero, you get a menacing looking skull icon, instead of the nice looking "your donation costs the same as this funky item you buy every day" icons.

Not that I didn't believe you, but I just had to check that myself. It also tops out at the price of a dromedary camel =/

Anyway, what I first noticed when I went to ubuntu.com was the following text in a great big strip across the top of my screen:

We use cookies to improve your experience of ubuntu.com. By continuing to explore without changing your settings, you are agreeing to accept them. To learn how to change these settings, please see our privacy policy.

Not only does it not really make sense, but I only have my browser set to block third party cookies, so I'm getting an eye-full of non-sense over something that's likely ad related (best guess, not taking the time to look).

Ubuntu, I block third party cookies for reasons that are none of your business. By continuing to employ them, while putting up a great big nag banner complaining about it, you are agreeing to suck my balls. To learn how to suck my balls, go to Amazon.com and purchase a pornographic primer.

Yeah, that was juvenile and stupid, but it made just as much sense as the garbage on ubuntu.com.

If this is how they treat potential users, it is no surprise at all that they'll pull crap like the Amazon search lens being enabled by default.

The cookies thing isn't actually Canonical's fault. It's due to a new internet privacy law in the EU. A lot of non-US sites I visit are now displaying some form of disclaimer to comply with the law. Details at this link: